October 6th: Twenty Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time – Faith as a mustered seed

The power of our faith doesn't depend on its quantity but its quality; It seems to me that this is why, when the apostles said increase our faith, Jesus took them immediately out of the area of quantity, and brought them to the smallest seed he could think of, the mustard seed. Jesus could have said, for example: If your faith were the size of a grain of sand, or a speck of dust, but the point of the comparison with the mustard seed is that it is living; it has a living power which a grain of sand does not. Just as a small weed can split a slab of concrete, or a mustard seed can produce a huge tree in which the birds of the air find shelter, so the living power of faith can move mountains. The secret of the living power which faith has is that it is built on the living word of God. Faith, trust and deep commitment to the wonderful things that God does through the strangeness of his ways, are the basis of the Christian life. Through a deep and trusting acceptance of the goodness, yet strangeness of God’s ways, revealed to us through the loving gift of His Son, we can make sense of our lives. We, who have received this gift of living faith in God’s Word, have a responsibility for its growth in us, or more precisely, we have a responsibility to grow in this gift of faith.

September 29 : Twenty Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time: Who is the Lazarus in my life?

 The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus has left Bible readers wondering why the rich man had to go to hell. We are not told he acquired his wealth by foul means or that he was responsible for the poverty and misery of Lazarus or that he committed any crime or evil deed. He went to hell not for the things he did but for the things he didn't do. We often think that we sin by doing what we are not supposed to do -by thought, word and deed (i.e. the sin of commission). Today’s parable reminds us that the sin of omission can land someone in hell. The poor man Lazarus was lying at his gate. And the rich man simply couldn't care less. Of course he did nothing against Lazarus. But he has failed to do a good deed, failed to reach out and share a little of his blessings with someone in need. His sin is that of omission, and for that he was going to roast in hell.
Another problem we have with this parable is why Lazarus went to heaven. This is the only parable of Jesus where the character in the story has a name. So the name must be significant for interpreting the parable. The name “Lazarus” means “God is my help.” Lazarus, therefore, is not just a poor man, but a poor man who believes and trusts in God, which opens the gates of heaven to him.
The good news of this parable is this: If you feel like a Lazarus right now, battered by sickness, poverty and pain, forgotten by society and by those whom God has blessed in this life, continue believing and trusting in God knowing that it will be well with your soul in the end. If you see yourself as one of those blessed by God with the good things of life, open your door and see. Probably there is a Lazarus lying at your gates and you have not taken notice.
These readings remind us that the law of love (see John 15:12; Romans 13:8) means that each of us in some way will be judged by the mercy we show to the poor. As the rich man learns in the parable of Lazarus - the distance between ourselves and God in the next life may be the distance we put between ourselves and the poor in this life (see Matthew 25:31-46; James 2:8,14-17).

September 22 : Twenty Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time -The parable of the Unjust Steward

 
In today’s Gospel, Jesus relates the parable of the Unjust Steward. It’s a very tricky parable. The steward was a rogue, who dishonestly reduced the quantum of debts of his master’s tenants, but the master praised his cleverness. The master praised not his dishonesty, but his foresight, prudence and astuteness. We can learn a lot of lessons for our spiritual life from the way men behave and organize their worldly affairs. We should not adopt their goals, but we can profitably use their methods for our spiritual well being. We should hate their ends, but we must love to adopt their methods. The children of this world may be wise but their wisdom pertains only to this passing world. Though this worldly wealth is not to be trusted for our happiness, it could be used as subservient to our pursuit of our happiness in the other world. Now is the only time we have got to make good use of our gifts, talents and possession to gain heaven.
 

September 15th : Twenty Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time – Joyful Finding

The words of the father in the story, to the sulking elder brother, are
filled with the pathos of Jesus’ appeal: ‘My son, you are with me always and
all I have is yours’. The‘best robe’, the ‘ring’, the ‘sandals’ and the
‘feast’, all marks of special regard, point to a mercy and generosity that have
no limits. We are left to imagine the aftermath. Surely, the son’s life is
transformed, as he comes, at last, to share in the love in the heart of his
father. The future the Saviour promises to the world, in fact, will be a
sharing in the love of his Father (cf. John 14:25 etc). The merciful, loving
heart of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, is the merciful, loving heart of God our
heavenly Father. His mercy tirelessly seeks out each sinner and should the
sinner respond there is delirious happiness and rejoicing in the whole court of
heaven. To every sinner in the state of mortal sin I say as simply as I can,
‘Your sin is not the big deal you think it is; the big deal is your return to
the merciful love of God. Trust in his mercy, not in your sin. And if you
continue to sin, continue to trust and to return to his mercy.’

September 8 : Twenty Thired Sunday in Ordinary Time – Hating our own life

We have yet to comment on the phrase “hating our own life”. This is just an extension of the earlier part. Jesus wants our lives to be lived in total truth and love. Our lives are not to be determined and manipulated by attachments, desires, ambitions or fears and anxieties which can become very much part of ourselves. We are to live in total freedom. “None of you can be my disciples unless he gives up all his possessions.” It is the ability to let go, even of health and life itself. Any aspect of a person or anything that lessens that freedom to follow truth and love is to be “hated” and transcended. Today's teachings are addressed to people who have not yet made the option for discipleship but are considering it. It reminds Luke's Christian readers of the choice they have already undertaken.

September 1 : Twenty Second Sunday in Ordinary Time – Take the Lower Place

In the Gospel of Luke today we also hear Jesus talking about humility. Our Gospel acclamation today says “I am meek and gentle of heart.” Indeed this quality of humility is one for which Jesus is very much a role model. We often talk about how Jesus lowered himself to become like us – a God becoming a man! How much more humble could he be? So when Jesus talks about humility we know that he is “walking the talk”! This idea is actually a theme in Luke, and it is the same theme that we read in the first reading: The greater you are, the more you must humble yourself; so you will find favor in the sight of the Lord. Luke started this theme in the first chapter with the beautiful Magnificat of Mary we heard two weeks ago: He has filled the hungry with good things and the rich he has sent away empty. He will end it with Jesus at the Last supper taking on the role of servant.

August 25th: Twenty First Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C – Enter through the narrow Gate

“The gate to perdition is the devil, through whom we enter into hell; the gate of life is Christ, through whom we enter into the kingdom of Heaven. The Devil is said to be a wide gate, not extended by the mightiness of his power, but made broad by the license of his unbridled pride. Christ said to be a strait Gate not with respect to smallness of power, but to His humility; for He whom the whole world contains not, shut Himself within the limits of the Virgin’s womb” (St. John Chrysostom).

August 18 : Twentith Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C – Fire upon the Earth

Jesus makes an important statement in today's Gospel.a. "I have come to bring fire on the earth." This is not the fire of destruction, the fire that ravages rain forests every year. It is the fire of heat and light. It is the fire that cleanses and purifies. It is the fire of God's presence as in the burning bush that Moses saw, as in the pillar of fire that accompanied the Israelites in the desert, as in the tongues of fire at Pentecost where the bringing of fire was mandated to the disciples, to the Church, to all of us. As a purifying fire it can also bring pain and purification but it ultimately leads to conversion and liberation.c. "I have come not to bring peace but division." It is especially painful to hear the Gospel speak of families being broken up because of Jesus. But this is less a prophecy or an expression of God's will than a description of the Church's very real experience from the time the Gospels were being written down to our own day. In many countries, both Christian individuals and Christian communities are seen as a threat to governments, various power groups and other religious groups. We saw this in practically every Communist regime during this century: the Soviet Union, the East European satellites, China and Vietnam. And these governments had reason to fear even though Stalin mockingly asked once how many divisions the Pope had. Yet it was the faith of Christians, who, without firing a shot (Stalin was right), was significantly instrumental in the collapse of Communism in Central and Eastern Europe. Yet, in the long history of the Church, how many families have suffered because members became Christians? Most of us – especially those who have lived in non-Christian or anti-Christian societies – probably have met someone who was rejected by their family for becoming an active Christian. And, not infrequently, persecution comes even from other Christians, from within the Church itself. And how many people realize that there have been more martyrs for the faith in the supposedly advanced and civilized 20th century than in all the preceding centuries!

Aug 15th : The Solemnity of the Assumption of Our Lady into Heaven – Crown of Glory

 
 The Assumption of the Blessed
Virgin Mary into Heaven at the end of her earthly life is a defined dogma of
the Catholic Church. On November 1, 1950, Pope Pius XII, exercising papal infallibility, declared in "Munificentissimus
Deus" that it is a dogma of the Church "that the
Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of
her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory." As a
dogma, the Assumption is a required belief of all Catholics; anyone who
publicly dissents from the dogma, Pope Pius declared, "has fallen away
completely from the divine and Catholic Faith." The
"Magnificat," which we find in Luke's Gospel, indicates that the
praise of the Holy Virgin, the Mother of God, intimately united to Christ her
son, regards the Church of all times and places. The evangelist's report of
these words presupposes that the glorification of Mary was already present at
that time and that he saw it as a duty and task of the Christian community for
all generations. Mary's words tell us that it is a duty of the Church to recall
Our Lady's greatness in faith. This solemnity is, then, an invitation to praise
God and to look to Our Lady's greatness since we know who God is by gazing
about the faces of those who are His.
 
 

August 11th - Ninteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time: Being Faithful & Being Prepared

 
 Today the Gospel speaks to us -as the first theme-
 of the need to be prepared since our God is  a God who comes, a God
who visits us. He can come to us in many ways. For example through the
Sacraments, through the Word of God, through the Priest, through the Community
gathered for worship, through the poor, the sick and the lowly, He could come
and speak to us through our live events and experiences etc etc. Are we ready
to welcome him in all these modes of his coming? The second theme for today
speaks to us the need to be faithful at all times. Thus Mother Theresa of
Calcutta would say : "God did not call us to be successful, but to be
faithful." It is not what we do that matters at the end but how far we
have been faithful to Him and His Gospel. Let us ask God for the grace to be
prepared all the time to welcome Him and that we be faithful we He calls us.

August 4 : Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time: The Fool’s Vanity

Trust in God - as the Rock of our salvation, as the Lord who made us His chosen people, as our shepherd and guide. This should be the mark of our following of Jesus. We can harden our hearts in ways more subtle but no less ruinous. We can put our trust in possessions, squabble over earthly inheritances, kid ourselves that what we have we deserve, store up treasures and think they’ll afford us security, rest. All this is “vanity of vanities,” a false and deadly way of living, as this week’s First Reading tells us. This is the greed that Jesus warns against in this week’s Gospel. The rich man’s anxiety and toil expose his lack of faith in God’s care and provision. That’s why Paul calls greed “idolatry” in the Epistle this week. Mistaking having for being, possession for existence, we forget that God is the giver of all that we have, we exalt the things we can make or buy over our Maker (see Romans 1:25). Jesus calls the rich man a “fool” - a word used in the Old Testament for someone who rebels against God or has forgotten Him (see Psalm 14:1). We should treasure most the new life we have been given in Christ and seek what is above, the promised inheritance of heaven. We have to see all things in the light of eternity, mindful that He who gives us the breath of life could at any moment - this night even - demand it back from us.

July 28 : Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time: Asked and Answered

Though we be “but dust and ashes,” we can presume to draw near and speak boldly to our Lord, as Abraham dares in this week’s First Reading. The mystery of prayer, as Jesus reveals to His disciples in this week’s Gospel, is the living relationship of beloved sons and daughters with their heavenly Father.  Our prayer is pure gift, made possible by the “good gift” of the Father - the Holy Spirit of His Son. It is the fruit of the New Covenant by which we are made children of God in Christ Jesus (see Galatians 4:6-7; Romans 8:15-16). Jesus teaches His disciples to persist in their prayer, as Abraham persisted in begging God’s mercy for the innocent of Sodom and Gomorrah. This intriguing story of Abraham interceding for Sodom is not really about a numbers game but about the significance of salvation for the righteous in a corrupt community. Authentic prayer opens us up to the action of God's Spirit, bringing us in line with God's desires, and making us into true disciples, obedient to Jesus and to the Father who has sent him. Prayer becomes one of the ways by which we follow Jesus in the Christian life.

July 21 st :16th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Serving God and Serving Neighbour

 
 

Last Sunday we were shown through the Parable of
the Good Samaritan how important it is to serve our neighbour : "For I desire mercy, not
sacrifice". And in today's Gospel Jesus completes that by
showing how important it is to serve God and give Him our fullest attention by
highlighting Mary who was at His feet. Martha stands for the service to the
Neighbour while Mary stands for the service to God. Thus we need to be both
Martha and Mary.

July 14 th : Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time: What We Must Do

In today’s Gospel we are given the summary of Christian belief: Love God & Love Neighbour. This command is nothing remote or mysterious - it’s already written in our hearts, in the book of sacred Scripture: “You have only to carry it out,” Moses says in this week’s First Reading. Jesus tells His interrogator the same thing: “Do this and you will live.” -The scholar, however, wants to know where he can draw the line. That’s the motive behind his question: “Who is my neighbor?”. In his compassion, the Samaritan in Jesus’parable reveals the boundless mercy of God - who came down to us when we were fallen in sin, close to dead, unable to pick ourselves up. Like the Samaritan, He pays the price for us, heals the wounds of sin, pours out on us the oil and wine of the sacraments, entrusts us to the care of His Church, until He comes back for us. Because His love has known no limits, ours cannot either. We are to love as we have been loved, to do for others what He has done for us - joining all things together in His Body, the Church. This is the love that leads to eternal life, the love Jesus commands today of the scholar, and of each of us - “Go and do likewise.”

July 7th : 14th Sunday in the Ordinary Time: I have a mission

 

 
St.
Luke is unique in recording a mission of the 72 in addition to a mission of the
Twelve. God has given us life and brought us to this world for a definite
purpose. We are given some definite service and a mission to fulfil.
"Somehow I am necessary for His purposes" says John Henry Cardinal
Newman. Have you realized the purpose for which God gave you life? Have you
identified the mission entrusted to you? Are you doing something to accomplish
that mission?

June 30 : 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Free to Follow

In todays Readings we are reminded that those who wish to Join Christ must be ready to disengage themselves from any earthly home, ready to disengage from past responsibilities and ready to disengage from past relationships. This simply means singular detachment from earthly matters. Jesus asks his disciples to put Him first even before the most demanding family ties. Can we do that?

June 23 : 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Who is Jesus?

 

Today's Gospel invites us to believe in Jesus who is the Christ
and only in Him. A common misconception among the crowd was
that the Christ would be a powerful political liberator who would set Israel
free from the Romans. This was far from the truth. The Son of Man is
destined to suffer grievously, to be rejected by the elders and the chief
priests and scribes and to be put to death, and to be raised up on the third
day. Thus we are reminded that we are to believe in Christ but that Christ
is different in the sense that He comes with the Cross and on the Cross.

June 16 : 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Many Sins, Great Love

In this Sunday’s readings we are like the fallen king, David, and the woman who weeps at Jesus’ feet. And like David, and like the woman in the Gospel, we fall into sin. Our crimes may not be as grave as David’s (see 2 Samuel 11:1–26) or as“many” as that woman’s (see Luke 7:47). But we often squander the great gift of salvation we’ve been given. Often we fail to live up to the great calling of being sons and daughters of God. The good news of today’s readings, the good news of Jesus Christ, is that we can return to God in the sacrament of confession. Each of us can repeat Paul’s wondrous words in this week’s Epistle: “The Son of God has loved me and given himself up for me.” The issue is not how much sin is in your life, but how much repentance there has been, giving way to forgiveness.

June 9 : Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Restored to Life

 

Jesus in today’s Gospel meets a funeral procession
coming out of the gates of the town of Nain. Unlike when he raised Jairus’
daughter (Mark 5) or Lazarus (John 11), no one requests his assistance. Moved
by compassion for the widow who had lost her only son, Jesus steps forward and,
laying his hand on the bier, commands him to arise. Like the physical healings that he
performed, Jesus’ raising people from the dead is a sign of the Messiah’s
arrival (Luke 7:22). But it is more than that; these healings are visible signs
of the awakening and liberating of men from the spiritual death caused by sin
(see Mark 2:1-12).

June 2 nd : The Feast of Corpus Christi - the Living bread

Today we celebrate the Feast of Corpus Christi, or
the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ. The Eucharist is true food and drink
but at the same time it is very different from every other food and drink. The
great difference lies in these words of Christ which St Augustine heard in
prayer, “You will not change me into yourself as you would food of your
flesh; but you will be changed into me.” We transform ordinary food into
our own bodies but the food of the Eucharist transforms us into the body of
Christ. Ludwig Feuerbach's statement that we become what we eat is never more
true that in the Eucharistic experience.